Manchester City's squad are now back in Manchester after the conclusion of their brief pre-season tour in the United States.
The Blues only returned to pre-season training on July 11 - over a week after some Premier League sides - before heading to the US for a week the following weekend.
City won both of their games on the other side of the Atlantic, a 2-1 win against Club America in Houston before a weather-interrupted 1-0 defeat of Bayern Munich in Green Bay.
City are now continuing their pre-season preparations at the CFA ahead of a Community Shield clash with Liverpool on Saturday. So what did we learn from City's short trip to the States?
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Haaland completes the puzzle
To the disappointment of the thousands of City fans packed into Houston's NRG Stadium, Erling Haaland sat out City's first match of the tour. Guardiola later explained that his new striker had experienced some 'niggles' in training, and so wasn't risked on a less-than-perfect playing surface.
Haaland did make the starting line-up against Bayern Munich, and when he scored just 12 minutes into his City debut it became clear that he is the answer to a very City problem.
City scored more goals than any other Premier League side last season (99), but on countless occasions balls would be flashed across goal with no central striker to get on the end of them. Haaland did just that for his strike, prodding home an intelligent Jack Grealish cut-back.
Julian Alvarez has role to play
Some feared Alvarez might struggle for minutes in Haaland's shadow, but against Club America the Argentinian striker showed exactly what he can bring to the table.
The 22-year-old is a relentless runner and presser, much like Gabriel Jesus was for the Blues last season. His running against the Mexican side dragged defenders out of position and created space for Kevin De Bruyne to run into, allowing the Belgian to score twice.
He is different to Haaland, but definitely has plenty to offer.
More options for Guardiola
In both games City lined up in their usual 4-3-3 formation, but a number of times Guardiola changed shape mid-game. In Houston City effectively played with a back-three, with Joao Cancelo pushed up into midfield and Kyle Walker tucking in as a third centre-back.
Kalvin Phillips demonstrated his positional versatility, playing as a centre-back, midfielder, attacking midfielder and alongside Rodri as a midfield pivot across the two games.
Right place, wrong time?
The departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko and the drawn-out pursuit of Marc Cucurella means that City will likely start the season with just two senior full-backs.
19-year-old Joshua Wilson-Esbrand certainly took advantage of the situation by staking his claim for minutes this season. The young left-back held his own against Bayern Munich's elite wingers, while Rico Lewis also looked promising when he came on.
But while City do have vacancies in the full-back areas, perhaps both are still a little too young - and unproven - to be relied upon. If City want to fight on all fronts this season, then really they need to bring in an experienced left-back, even if that means limiting Wilson-Esbrand's game time.
Kevin is ready
De Bruyne was voted City's player of the season for 2021/22, but in truth he did not achieve anything near his top level until after Christmas. An ankle injury sustained at Euro 2020, the after-effects of a facial injury suffered in the Champions League final and a bout of Covid robbed him of a proper pre-season and delayed his return to full fitness.
This summer has been the polar opposite, with the Belgian looking sharp and motivated in both City outings. If De Bruyne reached the heights he did after his early-season struggles last year, how good is he going to be this time around?
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